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Fix your stitches and sit up straight. No man wants a wife that cannot keep her mouth shut.

In 2008, the World Health Organization said the following about sexuality: "[A] central aspect of being human, and encompases sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intamacy, and reproduction."

There are many aspects to being human. Sex, gender, and sexuality are all important aspects of this. The first step to understanding how they play such a large part in our lives is understanding that sex and gender are not interchangeable. Sex is the biological characteristics that differ between male and female humans, there are both primary and secondary characteristics. Primary characteristics are present at birth while secondary characteristics begin developing at the onset of puberty. (Whittington-Walsh, 2016)

I am: feminine, delicate, emotional, the care-taker, pretty

I am: masculine, brave, handsome, level-headed, the provider

Gender on the other hand is a social construct. It gives enforces how individuals with certain sex characteristics in societies are expected to behave, think, and look.From these gender constructs arise gender ideology and gender inequality. Gender ideology is founded upon gender roles, and not biological differences. (Whittington-Walsh, 2016)

"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants... She hurt my feelings" (Lee, 1960)

Sexuality is also another key aspect to what makes us human. It is expressed through thoughts, fantasies, desires, and behaviours, among other things, and is influenced by psychological, biological, social, legal, ethical, cultural, politcal, and religious factors. (Whittington-Walsh, 2016)

"'For one thing, Miss Maudie can't serve on a jury because she's a woman-'" "'You mean women in Alabama can't-?' I was indignant." (Lee, 1960)

Gender ideologies, which feed into gender inequality, are based off of gender stereotypes, but are socially constructed, and are not the same universally. The ideologies tend to support and justify the ruling class, and in our patriarchal society, men. These stereotypes found meanings in what it is to be "feminine" and masculine". (Whittington-Walsh, 2016)

The gender stereotypes and gender roles that are present in our society are clearly witnessed in To Kill A Mockingbird. Scout, having been predominantly socialized around men have adopted many of their gender norms for herself, such as her behaviour and dress. However, this is not socially accepted and her Aunt Alexandria often shames Scout for her way of dressing. This causes Scout to feel hurt and confused about herself, due to these gender roles that society enforces upon induviduals. (Whittington-Walsh, 2016)

Another issue one can clearly see in To Kill A Mockingbird is gender inequality. This is also shown to Scout, who is appalled that women cannot serve on the jury. It is believed that women are too emotional, too fragile, and too dull to be able to hold any position of power such as that. This further feeds into the patriarchal society that women are not believed to have equal potential as men, that women are less than men, and therefore, do not have a place on the jury and must let men run the society. (Whittington-Walsh, 2016)